Chapter 359: Chapter 349 Hostage
Xie Xun’s army was encamped right outside Zhongzhou City, and the gates of Zhongzhou City were tightly shut.
Tens of thousands of Ningzhou Iron Cavalry were clad in battle armor, with the cavalry at the front and infantry behind. Their black armor gleamed under the sun like phosphorescence, forming a line with the overcast sky, majestic and heavy, instilling an intense sense of oppression.
The soldiers on the city walls felt an overwhelming aura and murderous intent. This was the bravely battle-hardened Ningzhou Iron Cavalry that had defeated the Beiman. Could Zhongzhou’s defenders truly hold the city gates against this cavalry?
General Chen Ming pondered the same question.
Xie Xun, in white horse and silver armor, stood before the army formation, holding a long spear and a longsword at his waist. With eyes like torches, he glanced at the defending general on Zhongzhou’s city wall. Though he had never met General Chen Ming, he discerned his identity.
"Where is my Second Brother?" Xie Xun asked in a deep voice.
"Where is Young Master Lin?" General Chen Ming on the city wall was equally unyielding.
A carriage slowly approached the army’s front. Lin Helin alighted without any restraints, a gesture of respect from Xie Xun. Fengyu, in a red outfit, stepped down with Lin Helin, standing three paces behind him.
This is Zhongzhou!
The city gates were built tall and imposing. Apart from the northern city gate of Ningzhou, this was the most solid and highest city wall Fengyu had ever seen. On the city wall stood a row of defenders, all crossbowmen. Yanyang’s dark red banners waved grandly in the wind.
"Where is my Second Brother?" Xie Xun asked in a deep voice; if he didn’t see Xie Jue, General Chen Ming knew that if Xie Jue didn’t appear, Lin Helin would likely not survive either. He dared not take that gamble.
After the fall of the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, the Xie brothers were madmen!
Fengyu nervously clenched his hands.
Lin Helin knew the matter was settled, unable to change anything. Zhongzhou’s city gate opened, and Fang Chuning and Xie Jue each rode a horse out of the city, followed by several members of Xie Jue’s Shadow Guard. Seeing Xie Jue, Xie Xun breathed a slow sigh of relief, the ferocity in his eyes gradually dissipating. Fang Chuning personally escorted Xie Jue out of the city, demonstrating General Chen Ming’s sincerity.
"Second Brother, did they hurt you?" Xie Xun asked anxiously.
Fang Chuning, with a stern face, replied, "While I’m in Zhongzhou, how could I let him get hurt?"
It’s fortunate Ting Feng didn’t drive him insane; he must have a good temper!
Though still unwell, Fang Chuning’s voice was hoarse and he appeared quite sickly, yet his presence was undiminished. Xie Xun could feel his intense anger but was unconcerned.
As long as Second Brother is fine!
Fengyu also relaxed upon seeing the Second Young Master safe and sound. Xie Xun had been anxious throughout the journey, fearing any mishap. Though Lin Helin was in their hands, if General Chen Ming decided to take irrevocable action and killed Xie Jue, there would be no guarantee. Lin Helin sighed; General Chen Ming was still cautious.
Or perhaps, with Fang Chuning’s presence, General Chen Ming was unable to act recklessly.
Xie Jue exchanged a distant glance with Lin Helin; they had both studied under Elder Lin, equally matched in knowledge and strategy. Xie Jue dismounted smoothly and greeted him, "Cousin, it’s been a while."
"Long time no see, Ting Feng." Lin Helin greeted with a cordial smile.
Fang Chuning watched Xie Jue’s back, his gaze concealing a fire that almost consumed his reason. He originally thought to reconcile before Xie Jue left Zhongzhou; having a rare meeting, parting with anger wasn’t ideal and would leave their last memory tainted with quarreling, which was neither good nor auspicious.
Military generals often harbor such odd notions, never quarreling with close ones before heading to the battlefield.
"I came to Jiaozhou this time intending for an all-night talk with Ting Feng, but as fate would have it, we meet under the Zhongzhou city walls. Truly what a twist of fate."
"Cousin and Zhixu have already had a long talk in Jiaozhou; there’s no need to talk with me. Zhixu commands the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry; my will is his decision." Xie Jue said lightly, "His stance represents my decision."
Lin Helin brushed past Xie Jue, his glance sweeping over Fang Chuning with a slight frown, remaining silent.
The hostage exchange was accomplished.
General Chen Ming on the city wall was also relieved; as long as Lin Helin was safe, all was well, as he truly feared a mishap.
The main objective of the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry was to retrieve Xie Jue rather than wage war. Should Xie Xun again stand at the city’s gate, throughout Zhongzhou, only Fang Chuning was his match.
His chest heaved with fighting spirit, just about to declare war with Fang Chuning when Xie Jue asked, "What do you want to say?"
"Nothing much!" Xie Xun thought, wasn’t it normal to throw banter at the battlefront? Why did Second Brother seem to have a harsh tone? He said to Fang Chuning, "Brother Fang, we will meet again."
"Very well, I await the grand arrival of Prince Qin in Zhongzhou!" Fang Chuning gave Xie Jue a deep look and turned his horse back to the city.
Sending off a friend for a thousand miles must end in parting.
He didn’t wish to create a laughingstock at the battlefront either.
Nearly everything that needed saying was said.
And the unsaid, he also voiced, Ting Feng probably wouldn’t wish to see him again.
Xie Jue felt a prick in his heart. After the city gate closed, he boarded the carriage. Fengyu and Xie Xun accompanied him in the carriage. Having spent time with the feverish Fang Chuning, he too contracted a cold, experiencing a slight fever, though not severe.
"Second Brother, if you had any issue, you could have sent a message to Jiaozhou. Why did you venture alone to Zhongzhou, revealing your identity? If it weren’t for Cousin being in Jiaozhou and Chen Ming holding you, what would I have used to rescue you?" Xie Xun, concerned and rattled, began scolding Xie Jue once inside the carriage, his pent-up frustration from several days finally finding release.
Xie Jue looked at him with a nuanced expression, while Fengyu explained, pulling Xie Xun aside, "The Second Young Master knew Lin Helin was in Jiaozhou and thus dared to go to Zhongzhou, otherwise he wouldn’t have taken such a risk."
Xie Xun knew it well too, but like Fang Chuning, he disliked Xie Jue’s risky behavior, betting on the enemy’s kindness, which was too venturesome.
"Besides the matter of origin, what else did Cousin say?" Xie Jue asked.
"Just some statements from his standpoint, nothing worth repeating, largely similar to what Grandmaster Zhang said, mainly about your background. If he really spreads it, what then?" Xie Xun feared unsuccessful negotiations would prompt the court to publicize everything.
That would push Second Brother to death!
"If my identity is true, with mother and father deceased, who can verify it? Even if Cousin brought a person from Sannan to testify, I could entirely deny it. Absent prior familial ties, how does one prove you are father and son with a father you didn’t grow up knowing? Resemblance? People have similarities, what’s strange about looking alike? There are even people in the world who look identical without any blood relation. King of Sannan wouldn’t welcome me claiming ancestry, so how would Cousin prove my identity? It would merely be rumors. Father never concealed my Sannan heritage, and Ningzhou Iron Cavalry is well aware. I’ve been in the cavalry for years, my position secure, and I resemble father. This kind of rumor can’t shake my status. The only one who could confirm my identity was mother, but she’s dead."